


Oasis

by Anya_P3



Category: Mario (2018)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Canon Compliant, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Post-Canon, Separation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22122613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anya_P3/pseuds/Anya_P3
Summary: Set 3 years after the movie ends.FC St. Pauli is playing an away game in Hannover and Leon shows up.
Relationships: Mario Lüthi/Leon Saldo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36





	Oasis

It had been a grueling match that ultimately ended in disappointment. Hannover 96’s midfielder scored the single goal of the match early in the first half, setting the tone for an evenly matched, highly defensive game. Mario had gotten close to scoring in the second half, with a right footed shot from the right side of the box, but it was just a hair too high and wide to the right. The match ended with a 1:0 win for Hannover.

No post-match party would follow. The tired, frustrated players would drag themselves back to their individual hotel rooms. Smaller groups would probably meet up later that evening for dinner, maybe a round of drinks. The typical away-loss routine.

He was in no hurry to leave the stadium. He had no plans and most of his teammates had skulked off to do their own thing. So he luxuriated in a longer shower than usual, put on his low slung grey jeans and favorite striped red and white shirt and packed his things at a leisurely, unhurried pace. 

Sometimes he wondered if his habit of substituting well-worn favorite articles of clothing for the familiarity, intimacy, and a sense of belonging he didn’t have in life was healthy. But he wasn’t in a contemplative mood today, so he grabbed his bag and walked out through the players’ exit.

“Mario”

His heart fluttered in recognition of the voice calling his name before his brain had time to process it. He turned to where the voice had come from and there he was. 1.77 meters, dark tousled mane, form fitting pants that hugged all his best features, and the same apprehensive, slightly shy yet somehow powerful small smile on his face.

“Leon?” 

Of course, Mario knew it was him. The question in his tone revealed his utter surprise at seeing his ex-boyfriend face to face. FC St. Pauli had played in Hannover every season, and while he’d hoped to bump into Leon during his first 2, this time he hadn’t even allowed himself a shred of optimism.  
Leon had clearly shut that door and thrown away the key.

But there he was, waiting for him. Looking a little nervous, but still ravishing. His sensitive, intelligent eyes gazing straight into Mario’s liquid blue ones.

“Good game, you played well. Sorry we won.” 

Mario smiled at the slightly teasing tone.

“What are you doing here?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Leon shuffled his feet and chewed on his lip. After a moment’s pause, he said, “I was hoping to see you. It’s been so long…I thought it would be nice to catch up.”

His gaze settled back squarely on Mario’s face as he waited for the blond’s reaction, apprehension clear in his expression.

“Really?” Mario couldn’t help but ask, clearly surprised. Then quickly added, “yeah, let’s do it!” as his face broke into a wide grin. 

He’d imagined this exact scenario more times than he cared to admit, so he could hardly believe it was really happening. He felt like pinching himself just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

As the two began walking side by side towards the stadium exit, Leon suggested they take his car and find a low-key, out of the way bar where they won’t be spotted, and Mario agreed. Leon’s car was parked in the far side of the stadium’s lot, giving them a few minutes of silence as they adjusted to one another’s presence.

“Joel didn’t come to the match?” 

Mario tried to keep his tone even so as not to betray his emotions. He still remembered the soul crushing pain he’d experienced that day 3 years ago, when he finally drove from Hamburg to Hannover, hoping to find a way to make things right between him and Leon, and Joel walked in and placed a soft kiss on Leon’s cheek, clearly marking his territory. Mario had taken it as a clear message; Leon was completely lost to him.

“Joel and I aren’t together anymore. We broke up over a year ago.” 

He could feel Leon’s head turn to see his reaction to the news.

“Are you single now?” Mario asked, no longer trying to hide how he felt or what he was hoping to hear.

Leon nodded wordlessly, and they continued walking in silence until they reached the car.

The bar-café was dimly lit and off the beaten path, with a cozy and warm atmosphere. Mario noted that while it wasn’t a gay bar, there were a few same-sex couples among the patrons. He inwardly commended Leon for his choice. A gay bar would have been too big a risk, but a completely straight bar might have felt wrong for this specific evening.

They sat at a small table for two in the corner and ordered beers and Flammekuechen to snack on. The initial tension of their reunion had dissipated as they chatted on their drive over, filling each other in on the basics of their lives.

Leon was working days at a sound studio, mostly mixing and editing commercials and short films. He also worked local concerts, here and there, as a side gig some nights. He loved the rush of an arena filled with live music, adrenaline and excitement. He still played in the regional division, but soccer was a hobby now. 

He’d been following Mario’s career quite closely, which pleased Mario immensely. 

Leon rattled off exact stats on his performance at games, and even mentioned, in passing, that he was one of the only Bundesliga players to never have been photographed with a girlfriend. In fact, Mario was known to be one of the most private players in the league, and his image rarely graced the tabloids, let alone get embroiled in any sort of scandal.

Mario smiled at this, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes which looked forlorn to Leon. 

“That’s because there isn’t anything to catch. I train, play matches, hang out with Jenny and her boyfriend or some of my teammates, and go home. That’s about it.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed, “you don’t date? Ever? No men at all?”

The blond shrugged, “it’s too big a risk.”

Leon couldn’t help but shake his head sadly upon hearing this. Without thinking, his right foot jutted towards Mario’s and he wrapped their calves together under the table. He felt an overwhelming urge to offer Mario human contact, warmth and comfort.

Mario leaned his head onto his elbow propped up on the table, his eyelids heavy, as he brushed his calf longingly against Leon’s and sighed softly.

“I still think about you every day. I miss you so much.”

This had never been his plan. He was never going back to hiding his sexuality or his boyfriend, as they had back in the YB. But Mario’s desperate need ignited a similar one in him. He felt flush with desire. He pushed his legs closer to Mario’s, squeezing his knee between Mario’s thighs and the blond couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped his lips, as he rubbed against Leon’s leg.

At that point Leon clasped their hands together over the table and whispered, “you want to get out of here?”

They were back in Leon’s car within minutes, and before Leon knew it, Mario had crushed his mouth onto his, pushing his tongue inside with a ferociousness he hadn’t expected. Mario panted and moaned as Leon returned the kiss just as passionately, his hands holding Mario’s face close, fingers running through his shortly cropped hair. 

Leon broke the kiss after a moment or two, placing his hand on Mario’s chest and pushing him back softly. “Let’s go back to my place. More private.”

Mario moved back into the passenger seat, readjusted his jeans, and nodded.

The drive to Leon’s took 10 minutes but felt like hours to Mario. He was so incredibly turned on and was finding it difficult to contain his lust and longing. After fantasizing about having Leon back in his arms and his bed for the last 3.5 years, this final wait was unbearable. 

They moved fervently but silently from the car to the building’s entrance where Leon fumbled a bit with the key; a clear signal that he wasn’t cool and collected either. What Mario wasn’t sure of was whether Leon was excited or tense about what they were about to do. 

After all, he’d been the one to walk out back in Switzerland, and he’d been the one to move on with someone else so quickly.

As soon as he opened the front door, Mario pushed Leon against the wall and continued his mouth’s assault, while pressing his lean, muscular athletic frame against the dark haired man’s. Somehow, they managed to make their way to the bedroom without disentangling their limbs, and frantically removed each other’s clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

They made love several times that night, their hurried passion gradually making way for the buried intimacy and love from their past that re-emerged from that place deep inside their souls, where they’d each tried to bury it. 

Afterwards, as Leon’s head lay on top of Mario’s chest, their fingers laced together, Mario placed light kisses on top of his head, and finally said:

“I still love you, you know. I never stopped...”

That earned him an uncomfortably long silence from the man lying in his arms. A few moments passed before Leon tilted his head up to look him in the eye, as he said

“I don’t think I ever stopped either. But Mario,” he reached over to lightly graze the blond’s cheek, “this doesn’t change things. Being with you tonight was incredible; better than with anyone else. But I won’t ever go back to hiding. You understand that, right?”

The tears that filled his eyes threatened to spill over as he silently tightened his grip on Leon.

He’d known. Leon had made it perfectly clear. 

Yet somehow, his deceptive heart had gotten ahead of him. Had allowed him to dream; to imagine a future in which he could have Leon and still keep his soccer career. They wouldn’t be able to live together or be out like a regular couple, but they would have furtive meetings, nights like this that would serve as the oxygen he’d craved for years, which had resuscitated him tonight from the emotional barrenness he’d been existing in. 

He knew it wasn’t fair to ask that of Leon. 

And he knew what Leon’s answer would be if he did.

They remained wrapped around one another for another hour, savoring the closeness and love they’d managed to steal, perhaps for the last time. 

Leon walked him to the door and hugged him tightly, placing a sweet, sensual kiss on his lips, as they parted. Mario knowingly stepped out of the apartment and back to the life of emotional starvation he’d somehow trained himself to endure, wondering if Leon would ever surprise him like this again.


End file.
